LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada urologist accused of improperly
reusing needle guides during biopsies says he did it based on instructions from
a vendor.
Lawyers for Dr. Michael Kaplan say in a half-page ad in the
Las Vegas Review-Journal that the doctor was told reusing the plastic guides
was perfectly safe. The ad Wednesday says the Henderson doctor stopped the practice the
moment a question arose.
The Southern Nevada Health District says it doesn’t know
whether any diseases were transmitted, but it is notifying more than 100
patients who had a prostate biopsy from Dec. 20 to March 11 that they should
get tested for HIV and hepatitis.
The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners says Kaplan ordered
staff to reuse the guides three to five times. His license was suspended Monday.
